Jon Gibson - In Good Company (1992)

Jon Gibson is a composer and a musician (saxophone, flute), born in Los Angeles in 1949, who played a key-part in the American minimalist scene. He played works by the most important composers in this trend, such as Steve Reich (1963-1972), Terry Riley (1964-1966) and Philip Glass (from 1968). He collaborated with composers such as La Monte Young, Frederick Rzewski, Alvin Curran, Anna Lockwood, to name but a few.

"In good company" is his first solo album, released on Point Music, the record company created by Philip Glass. Indeed, Jon Gibson is here in good company: this record is produced by Michael Riesman, who also plays keyboards, La Monte Young plays digital piano, Martin Goldray plays piano, and John Snyder and Bill Ruyle are credited for various percussions.

Jon Gibson plays compositions by Steve Reich, John Adam, Terry Jennings, Philip Glass and Terry Riley. He also plays his own compositions, and my favorite one is the very ambient and moody "Extensions II".

This is a beautiful and intimate record, built around Gibson's various saxophones and his unique way to play with them.  From the hypnotic repetitive structures of Steve Reich to the lyrical minimalism of Philip Glass, from the raga structrues of Terry Riley to John Adams, Jon Gibson is travelling freely through the history of American new musics.

link: mp3 / 320

JGIGC.zip

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Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass - Passages (1990)

This beautiful album is another project of Private Music, the Peter Baumann's company in the 80's and early 90's. It is an interesting complement to Tana Mana (see below).

Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar met for the first time in Paris in 1965. Philip Glass was studying music with Nadia Boulanger, Ravi Shankar was recording a score for Chappacqua, the movie of Contard Rook. Philip Glass was earning pocket money doing notation and was assisting the sound engineer in the studio where Ravi Shankar recorded his sitar parts.

Ravi Shankar and Philip Glass spoke together, and Shankar answered many questions about Indian classical music and raga compositions.

This 1990 collaboration was a way to push this early dialogue a step forward. Passages is a rare instance of classical music reciprocity, each composer presenting thematic materials to the other as raw material from which the finished pieces were fashioned. Passages offers two Glass compositions on themes by Shankar, two Shankar compositions on themes by Glass as well as one piece from each composer completely of his own devising.

Links: mp3 / 320

RSPG1.zip

RSPG_2.zip

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